Studie af gipsafstøbning fra Pompeji. Liggende mand 1920 - 1924

This is Gudrun Traustedt's sketch of a plaster cast from Pompeii. Traustedt, a Danish artist who died young at 29, captures the vulnerability of the figure, a man caught in his final moments during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. These casts, made by pouring plaster into the voids left by bodies buried in the ash, offer a chillingly intimate glimpse into the past. The sketch invites reflection on mortality and the ephemeral nature of life. Consider the power dynamics at play. The man, stripped of his identity and agency by the volcanic eruption, is further objectified through the scientific process of casting and the artistic gaze of Traustedt. Her delicate lines, however, imbue the figure with a sense of dignity and humanity. What does it mean to memorialize a tragedy? And how do we balance the desire to understand the past with the ethical considerations of representing human suffering?